There’s a conversation I keep having with founders, leaders, and people who are performing at a high level and wondering why nothing they’ve tried has actually made a difference.
It’s a conversation about therapy. What it can do, what it can’t, and why for a lot of high performers, it only gets them so far.
I say this as someone who trained and worked as a psychologist and CBT therapist in London, and who still offers therapy to a limited number of clients. Someone who has spent years working across the NHS and private practice in London and genuinely believes in the value of evidence-based therapeutic work. This isn’t a criticism of therapy. It’s an honest conversation about why it alone isn’t always enough for people operating at this level.
Where therapy helps:
If you’re a founder, entrepreneur, or leader experiencing high-functioning anxiety, therapy can absolutely help. It can lower your symptoms, build your self-awareness, and help you cope more effectively with challenges like anxiety and stress.
A lot of the founders and leaders I work with have tried therapy. It helped. For most of them though, it only got them so far. The deeper stuff didn’t move. They were coping. They weren’t changing. Without getting to the root of what’s actually going on, even the best coping strategies will only ever provide short-term relief.
What’s actually missing:
In my clinical work I saw the same pattern repeatedly. People who were highly self-aware, who understood their anxiety intellectually, and who had tried every tool and strategy available to them. After working as a psychologist and CBT therapist across the NHS and private practice, I saw how traditional approaches alone aren’t enough to create deep or lasting change in high performers.
There’s something else traditional therapy doesn’t always account for. The unique challenges that come with being a founder, entrepreneur, or leader. For example, the isolation of being the decision-maker with nobody around you who truly gets it. The financial pressure. The identity so wrapped up in what you’re building that you’ve lost sight of who you are outside of it. The imposter syndrome that was supposed to disappear with success but hasn’t. The emotional weight of leading people, managing investors, and keeping everything moving while privately running on empty. The strain that shows up in co-founder relationships, team dynamics, and the conversations that keep getting avoided.
These aren’t the kinds of challenges that sit neatly in a therapy framework. They’re the reality of operating at this level. Traditional therapy isn’t always equipped for that world in my opinion. I know this on a personal level because I’m a founder who has built two companies in two countries.
For a lot of the people I work with, something else matters just as much. Having someone in their corner who actually gets their world. Someone they can be completely honest with, without being judged or told to slow down.
That’s what most high performers have never had.
What the work actually looks like:
That’s where The Devine Method® is different. It’s a proprietary framework that combines evidence-based psychological tools including CBT, compassion-focused therapy, and mindfulness with high-performance coaching. Grounded in over 13 years of clinical experience as a psychologist and CBT therapist in London, working with thousands of clients including hundreds of founders and leaders, and my own experience of building two companies. It’s a tailored approach that goes deeper than traditional therapy alone and further than generic coaching can reach.
It gets to the root of what’s actually going on and not just the symptoms on the surface. The deeper patterns, beliefs, and ways of operating that have been there long before the anxiety or the burnout showed up.
When the deeper work actually shifts, the change shows up everywhere. In the decisions that used to take weeks to make, finally feeling clear. In the high stakes conversations, pitches, and boardroom moments where you show up with clarity and confidence. In the self-worth that’s no longer entirely dependent on what you achieve or how the company is performing. The overthinking quietens. The pressure becomes something you can navigate rather than something that runs you. The need to keep pushing just to feel enough starts to ease. You start trusting your own judgement and you feel like yourself again, not just an extension of what you’re building.
That’s what the work actually looks like on the other side.
If this resonates:
I’m Lorna Devine, a UK-trained psychologist and CBT therapist, working as a high-performance psychology coach and advisor to founders, entrepreneurs, leaders, and high performers. Based in Dubai, I work with clients across the GCC, London, the US, and beyond.
I work privately 1:1 with individuals and partner with corporates, venture firms, and family offices to support the performance and wellbeing of founders, senior leaders, and their teams. I also work within startup ecosystems and accelerator programmes across the GCC, UK and US, supporting founders at every stage of building.
My work spans banking, Big Tech, Big 4, law, consulting, venture capital, and family offices.
If you’re ready to go beyond managing it and actually change how you operate from the inside out, I’d love to hear from you. Email me directly at lorna@lornadevine.com and let’s talk about how I can support you through The Devine Method®.
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